Why am I Still Watching and Playing Defiance?

Defiance was the game finally made me break into MMOs. The idea of a TV Show you can play (and a game you can watch) was fresh and new. It was a concept that I couldn’t resist. And over the course of the last several months I’ve noticed something.

This media marriage has its merits.

Defiance is a fun show. It doesn’t stand out in any particular way for me, but it’s good. A solid effort and worth watching.

Defiance is a fun game. A bit repetitive (although I’ve been told that comes with the MMO territory) but a good way to kill an hour or two.

Neither one stands out in its respective category to me. But I still watch the show (often live) and spend a few hours in the game every week. I’m not a completionist. If something doesn’t keep my attention I’ll leave it. I have half read books, half watched TV series, and unfinished games. My entertainment hours are scarce, and that makes them valuable. And while Defiance isn’t bad, it’s something that would normally end up in my “undone” pile. And I’ve realized, I’m not sure if I’m still playing the game because I’m watching the show, or if I’m still watching the show because I’m playing the game. And that’s why this tie in is brilliant.

Defiance, despite being completely average, has managed to get its hooks in me. By linking two average things they’ve created something extraordinary. I play the game because I want to make sure I don’t miss something in the show. I watch the show so I don’t miss something in the game. When they have something like the plague episode, and I see the reporter from San Francisco, I know what’s about to happen. I knew the medicine has gotten to Defiance, I risked my ass getting it sent off, but I needed to make sure my efforts were not wasted.

So keep the tie-ins strong Defiance, and I’ll still be playing and watching.

Do you still watch or play Defiance? What keeps you going?

Share this post:

Nicole is half of the geek culture blog Pure Geekery, an automation engineer, and a derby girl. When she’s not writing posts, writing code, or on the track she’s usually in front of her Xbox trying to save the world.